Golds galore for Great Britain at IWAS World Junior Games
A successful IWAS World Junior Games saw Great Britain finish second in the overall medal table. The home nation won a total of 15 golds, 13 silvers and 18 bronze across athletics, table tennis and archery at the event staged at Stoke Mandeville Stadium, the birthplace of the Paralympic movement between 3 – 7 August.
Over 320 athletes from 31 nations competed providing valuable experience for athletes on their pathway to the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
Fresh from reaching the 1,500m T54 final at the Commonwealth Games, 18 year old Will Smith continued a fine run of form to claim three track medals. The WeirArcher protégé successfully defended his junior 800m title to take gold as well as winning a 1,500m silver and 5,000 bronze.
Five medals were won by Great Britain in table tennis. Megan Shackleton won the gold medal in the singles before teaming up with Britain’s number 2 Lucie Bouron to claim bronze in the team event
GB’s Daniel Bullen bounced back from the final defeat against Shackleton to win a gold medal with partner Nicko Anderson in the team event.
On winning the singles gold Shackleton said:
“I wanted to play my best and I am very happy to win the gold medal and it means a lot to me.”
On competing at the birthplace of the Paralympic movement, Stoke Mandeville Stadium for the first time: She said
“It’s great to see where everything started and my aspiration is to go to a Paralympic Games and win a gold medal, and it’s brilliant to see the birthplace of the whole movement.”
14 year old Jessica Stretton won an archery gold and a bronze on her first ever international competition.
Stretton started day one by achieving a personal best before the first interval. With nearly three hours of Archery remaining the Hemel Hempstead youngster had to keep the composure required of a world class athlete.
“To concentrate I just blocked everything out around me and focused on the target and the task in hand of shooting.”
The next day Stretton returned to the field to win a bronze medal in the team event.
Chef de Mission and WheelPower Sport Development Officer Stewart Jeeves said:
“The GB team have performed exceptionally at the IWAS World Junior Games, the athletes have demonstrated a huge potential for future success. To compete amongst the top junior athletes with the backdrop of hundreds of spectators packed around the sports venues has been an invaluable experience. WheelPower are delighted to support the team on their road to sporting success in which could take them to Paralympic glory at Rio 2016 or Tokyo 2020.”
The IWAS (International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports) World Junior Games welcomed over 320 athletes from 31 nationals around the world.
WheelPower is the national is organisation for wheelchair sport and owners of Stoke Mandeville Stadium. GB entered 38 athletes, which was led by WheelPower.
Athletes between the ages of 14 and 22 competed at the Games which provides valuable competition for athletes on their pathway to the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
IWAS organised the games at Stoke Mandeville Stadium to give the world’s best young athletes the opportunity to compete at an elite level at the birthplace of the Paralympic movement. Sir Ludwig Guttmann organised the first International Stoke Mandeville World Games in 1952 and set up the organisation now known as IWAS.
